Secure facilities such as prisons, institutions, and other government facilities house large populations of individuals in confinement. Such facilities present unique administrative challenges—including challenges related to providing educational, entertainment, communications, and other services. Most notably, secure facilities require additional levels of monitoring and oversight that are not required when similar services provided to other populations. Additionally, since a large number of individuals may be confined in a relatively small space, certain efficiencies must be achieved to effectively administer the various services of the facility.
Currently, the services are provided piecemeal—with each service handled by different technological means and often even different departments or service providers. For example, one service provider may provide telecommunications service, while another handles educational or entertainment programs. These services are provided separately from purely administrative services such as scheduling visitations, processing complaints, providing commissary services, or other facility requirements that may be provided by in-house departments of the secure facility. Significant efficiencies can be achieved by automating these various services and by providing them in a centralized manner. Moreover, providing these services by a centralized computer system can facilitate more effective monitoring of resident activity. With more effective monitoring in place, it is possible to provide additional services that can provide supplemental revenue to the facilities. Accordingly, there is a need for a way to administer various services required in a secure facility that is efficient, secure, and effective.